White House raises concerns about harm to civilians in Yemen

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Houthi militants walk past the collapsed roof of the Chamber of Trade and Industry headquarters after it was hit by a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's capital Sanaa January 5, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Saturday said it was deeply concerned about reports of harm to civilians amid escalating violence in Yemen, and called on all sides involved in the conflict to resume peace talks.

“The United States takes all credible accounts of civilian deaths seriously and we again call on all sides of the conflict in Yemen to do their utmost to avoid harm to civilians,” said National Security Council spokesman Ned Price in a statement.

Price noted recent attacks that killed an ambulance driver associated with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Dahyan, a freelance journalist near Sana’a, and civilians in Sana’a and at the Ras Isa oil terminal.

The White House also called for attacks on Yemen’s Red Sea ports to come to an immediate end to allow food and other essential supplies to get to all Yemenis.